


The Trouble with Girls

by Nomme_dePlume



Series: EP XXXI Challenge [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Awkward Father-Son Talk about Boys, Awkward Father-Son's Boyfriend Talk about Boys, Father-Son Relationship, ItaMina, M/M, One Night Stands (kinda), Yaoi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-10
Updated: 2017-06-10
Packaged: 2018-11-12 07:11:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11156856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nomme_dePlume/pseuds/Nomme_dePlume
Summary: “And that’s the trouble with girls, isn’t it?” Itachi asked. Minato glanced at him and watched while Itachi stared at his wine glass and twisted it this way and that. When the glass stopped moving, Minato looked up and was caught by Itachi’s intense gaze. “They’re all about the future, can’t really live in thenow, can’t live for the moment.”





	The Trouble with Girls

Minato set his wine glass down, smiling like an idiot as he thought about his son’s recent receipt of a federal grant that would further his research on alternative fuels. He looked up at his date to continue his story of Naruto’s effusive phone calls over the course of the past three weeks, but the look on her face kept him from doing so.

Minato cleared his throat. “Is something wrong?”

“Yes and no, Minato,” she said, her nails tapping against the tabletop. “No, because this is no different than any other date we’ve been on in the past two years, with me sitting here and you going on about your son. And yes, because this is no different than any other date we’ve been on in the past two years.”

Minato blinked as his eyes blurred and his throat began to close. He reached for his wine and took another drink. He swallowed the rest of his glass in one gulp and carefully set the glass back on the table, noticing the slight tremor in his hand. “I’m sorry?”

She laughed, though it lacked true amusement. “I’m sure you are.” She sighed. “Listen, I like you, Minato, and I think Naruto is a wonderful young man, but how many dates do I have to sit through before you ask me to move in or marry you or _something_ that would prove we are in a meaningful and loving relationship?”

Minato could only stare at her as his mind raced to find the words he should say to smooth this over. But her words—move in, marry, meaningful and loving relationship—halted any of his that he could possibly have formed. Ever since his wife had left him and Naruto, Minato had tried very hard not to think about his commitment issues, though there had been no denying he had them after many nights of deep reflection.

She smiled ruefully at him after a moment and crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned back. “You know, I pegged you as the type that couldn’t try again right when I first met you. But I guess I deceived myself into thinking that it would only take the right woman, someone like me, to get you to open up again. Maybe this is more my fault than anyone’s.”

Minato groaned quietly as he leaned forward, wiping his palms on his pants. “No, it’s my fault, I know. Maybe I was just deceiving myself, as well. I really am very sorry.” He was mostly sorry about how long the relationship had gone on in this way. His others had ended after a few months. Maybe this time he had been more comfortable with his partner. Or more blind to the situation.

She waved aside his apology as he looked up at her. “I’m sure there’s plenty of blame to go around. Forget it. But, if you don’t mind, I think I’ll call it a night.” Minato nodded his assent, and she nodded back before standing. Minato reached out to grab her hand.

“For what it’s worth, I have enjoyed these past two years with you, and I hope you don’t feel that I have taken you for granted.”

“Who could be angry with that face, Minato?” she said as she squeezed his hand, and then she was gone.

Minato sighed and laid his head down on the table. Naruto was going to be so mad at him when he found out. Though this one had lasted the longest, it couldn’t really take the sting out of the fact that this was his seventh failed relationship in as many years, if not less. And for the life of him, Minato couldn’t really determine why he felt the need to have a lover. Maybe it was some misplaced guilt about leaving Naruto without a proper mother figure, but the boy was a young man now, out on his own and probably keeping a few of his own lovers a secret from his old man. Naruto didn’t need Minato to baby him anymore.

“Maybe I should just stay alone for the rest of my life,” he said to himself.

“Well, a resolve like that will at least save me the effort of getting to know you,” someone said to his left, and Minato quickly lifted his head to find the owner of the voice. “But I think that would be an awful shame.”

The man next to the table was tall, probably nearing six feet, and young, much younger than Minato. His long black hair was tied back, but the tail trailed over his shoulder and fell almost to his hips. His bangs were loose in front of his face, partially obscuring his eyes, but Minato could see enough of them to tell they were dark colored, almost as black as his hair. His suit was sharp and expensive-looking, though the man wore it casually, without a tie and the first several buttons of the shirt undone.

“May I join you?” the man asked, motioning to the recently vacated seat across from Minato.

Before he could think better of it, Minato nodded and watched as the young man sat gracefully in the chair, crossing his legs and resting one arm on the back of the chair and the other on the table. “Uh, might I ask your purpose in sitting at my table?” Minato finally managed to ask.

“I believe I said it would be an awful shame if I didn’t get to know you.”

“You want to get to know me?” Minato asked in disbelief.

The man nodded. “And I would love to start by asking your name.”

Minato quickly considered the consequences of answering and decided the man didn’t look all that suspicious. “Minato,” he said, purposefully leaving out the surname despite his lack of alarm.

The man nodded in thanks with a secretive smile. “Hi, Minato. I’m Itachi.” Minato noticed the lack of his surname, too. Itachi signaled a passing waiter and asked for his own glass of wine and another for Minato. When the waiter had gone, Itachi eyed Minato again. “I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation with the lovely lady earlier. I’d give you my condolences, but it seemed to end amicably enough.”

Minato laughed bitterly as the waiter came back with two glasses of wine and set them on the table. “Amicably, huh? I guess. There certainly seems to be no love lost.” He reached for his wine and sipped at it, despite wanting to gulp it all down like it was a shot of whiskey.

“Perhaps. It did surprise me to hear that she lasted two years before she started talking about cohabitation and marriage, and so lightly at that.”

“Well, maybe she was just good at holding it all in,” Minato replied absently as he gazed across the restaurant. “I mean, it’s what every woman wants, right?” Even his wife. Only she’d wanted that with someone else.

“And that’s the trouble with girls, isn’t it?” Itachi asked. Minato glanced at him and watched while Itachi stared at his wine glass and twisted it this way and that. When the glass stopped moving, Minato looked up and was caught by Itachi’s intense gaze. “They’re all about the future, can’t really live in the _now_ , can’t live for the moment.”

“The moment?” Minato repeated quietly.

“The moment of raw, unadulterated passion.” Minato’s breath caught at that, and his heart unexpectedly and inexplicably picked up its pace at the smooth and subtle heat in Itachi’s voice. “Your date,” Itachi continued, “said that you were unable to open yourself up again, and I can only assume she meant after a failed relationship that produced your son. A wife, maybe?” Minato flinched at the question, unable to answer, though he felt it was more rhetorical than anything. Itachi shrugged. “But in my opinion, I don’t think you can’t open up. Just that you need to meet the right… person, have the right moment, if you will.”

Minato swallowed to try wetting his suddenly dry throat. “And the right person with the right moment is… you?” he asked lowly.

Itachi smiled slowly, transforming the man from an attractive youth to a dangerous predator before Minato’s eyes. It didn’t send fear or alarm coursing through his body, but something else altogether, something indescribable, something… raw and unadulterated.

“Maybe. I only want to get to know you, and where it goes from there is anyone’s guess. Though, not only is it hard to get _angry_ with your face, it’s hard to ignore and even harder to pass up.” Itachi reached into his jacket pocket and produced a card, which he handed to Minato. It was a business card with the name and address of a popular night club that he’d heard Naruto speak of now and again. He wondered if Itachi worked there.

“Why give me this?”

Itachi smiled as he lifted his wine glass to take a large sip. When he set it down, Itachi looked at Minato again. “If you ever want to talk, this is where you can find me, more often than not. And if you flip it over, you’ll find my private cell. Feel free to contact me at any time.” With that, Itachi stood and reached out his hand. “It was nice to meet you, Minato. I hope to see you again.”

Minato reluctantly reached out his hand to shake Itachi’s. “It was… nice to meet you, too, Itachi.” Itachi chuckled quietly and walked away. Minato watched until he was through the door and then looked down at the card in his hand. He wasn’t really sure what to make of everything that just happened, but he still found himself pulling out his wallet and placing the card inside before placing his credit card on the table and signaling for the waiter.

~*~

Minato placed a plate of pancakes soaked in syrup before his son and grabbed the seat next to him. Naruto thanked him and began to shovel the pancakes into his mouth at an alarming speed, though Minato only smiled and turned his attention to his own smaller stack.

“So, Dad, tell me again why you broke up with Angie?” Naruto managed to ask between mouthfuls of food.

Minato sighed and put down his fork to reach for his coffee cup. Grasping it by the handle, he cradled it against his chest as he leaned back in his chair and gave Naruto a glance out of the corner of his eye. “She broke up with me, kiddo, and before you ask what I did to cause it, I’ll only say that she wasn’t visibly angry, nor am I too broken up about it.”

Naruto only hummed as he continued to shovel pancakes in his mouth. Minato continued to eat as well, but he nervously waited for whatever Naruto was going to say about his unsuccessful relationship. Naruto always had something to say. But as the minutes ticked by and his son said nothing, Minato put down his fork and said, “You have nothing to say about it?”

Naruto shrugged as he picked up his orange juice and took a drink to wash down his pancakes. “Well, I figure it’s really none of my business, you know? It’s not like I’m a little kid anymore, wondering if the woman is going to be my new mommy. If she didn’t make you happy, she didn’t make you happy, you know?” Naruto smiled at him.

Minato smiled back, glancing down at his plate. “Well, I guess it was more I didn’t make her happy.” Naruto laughed and agreed as he got up to get more pancakes. Minato reached for his coffee mug but only moved his index finger over the rim rather than pick it up to drink. The smile had fallen from his lips as he contemplated asking Naruto a question that had weighed heavily on his mind all night.

“So what are your plans for the weekend, Dad?”

Minato looked up at the question. “Oh, nothing, I guess. I might bring some work home with me today.” Naruto scoffed and dove into his pancakes. Minato watched him for a moment before sitting up straight and clearing his throat. “Naruto, you’ve been to a place called ‘The Verge,’ right?”

Naruto’s reaction was surprising, and Minato quickly stood to pat his son on the back as he choked on his mouthful of pancakes. When able to breathe, Naruto reached for his orange juice and drank it until it was gone. Minato, still worried, sat back in his chair and waited for Naruto to lose the redness in his face.

“Why would you ask about that place?” he asked.

Minato returned his eyes to his partially eaten breakfast and shrugged. “No real reason, I guess. I just… met someone last night who lent a sympathetic ear when Angie left, and he gave me his card with the club’s information on it. I just wondered what kind of club it is.”

He looked up to see Naruto gazing at him with narrow, suspicious eyes. “What was some guy doing talking to you?”

Minato rolled his eyes. “He happened to overhear the breakup and just sat down to talk to me. He seemed… nice, and he said if I ever wanted to talk, I could visit him at the club. Not that I would, mind you. I just thought it was… an unusual, but kind gesture.”

Naruto scoffed again. “Please, Dad, it sounds like the man was trying to pick you up. You’re a little slow when it comes to things like that, we both know it. Like with Maru at work, you know?” Minato ducked his head at the reminder of his boss. “Look, just… don’t worry about it, okay? You should forget about that guy and contacting him and stuff.”

All things considered, Minato actually found it quite funny that Naruto was speaking to him like an errant child, but he hadn’t been completely unaware last night, what with the man’s talk of passion and the unsettling way Minato had reacted towards him. And Naruto’s reaction truly only made him more curious, which was never actually a good thing.

“What about this club? You haven’t answered my question.”

Naruto made some interesting noises as he grasped for the right words before he sighed and ran a hand over his face. “Just can’t let it go, can you? Fine, I’ll tell you. The Verge is a very expensive, high-class night club that caters to a certain clientele, owned by some people who live to cause trouble.” Naruto’s voice sounded weary, like he was personally acquainted with the kind of trouble the owners liked to cause. Naruto hesitated before continuing, but he eventually turned his eyes away and said, “It’s a gay club.”

“Oh,” he replied, not quite sure how to react. He supposed he should have known, what with having an inkling at what Itachi had deliberately not said last night. And Naruto hadn’t exactly kept his own sexual preferences a secret from his old man. But it was still somewhat… shocking was too strong a word… unexpected, maybe, to know that Naruto had been to such a place.

“Gah, I can’t believe I just said that to my dad.” Naruto stood and took his dishes to the sink.

Minato shot an annoyed look at him over his shoulder. “It’s not as if I’m completely in the dark about places like that, Naruto. This isn’t the 1950s, you know.”

“Well, you act like it’s the 1950s sometimes,” Naruto teased lightly.

“I most certainly do not.”

“Whatever, Dad, I’ve got to get out of here. You should be going soon, too. Wouldn’t want Maru getting all anxious about you, now would we?”

Minato groaned and laid his head down on the table. Naruto patted him on the shoulder as he passed, calling out that he’d be back later in the evening. He waited until he heard the front door close before he let out an explosive sigh and sat up, rubbing both hands up and down his face. After a moment, he got up and also placed his dishes in the sink, resolving to wash them later rather than be late for work.

He washed his hands to rid them of any syrup and then grabbed his bag and keys off the table. He locked the front door and made his way to his car, making sure he had everything in his bag as he walked the familiar path to his driveway, all the while thoughts of his son, The Verge, and Itachi swirling in his mind.

No, it wasn’t a secret that his son was attracted to both sexes, or that he had more boyfriends than girlfriends over the years. Nor was it shocking that he visited clubs that were more open to his particular sexual preferences. So, Minato didn’t really have a problem with anything Naruto had said this morning, not really. But the fact that, in Naruto’s opinion, someone that ran in or near Naruto’s particular circle was interested in Minato was a little… not off-putting, per se, but unreal.

He climbed into the car, carefully placing his bag in the passenger seat, and then started the engine, staring at nothing as he waited for his GPS, Bluetooth, and any other devices that Naruto had placed in his car to sync. He continued to think about the impossibility of Itachi having been hitting on him, but Naruto had reminded him this morning about the incident with Orochimaru a few years back.

Minato put the car in drive and began the short journey to his office.

His boss Orochimaru, called Maru around the office, had asked him out. Minato had been so flustered that he hadn’t been able to flat out refuse, so while Orochimaru hadn’t pushed him to answer, he didn’t drop the idea until Minato finally said that he wouldn’t be able to do it.

Luckily it hadn’t made working together awkward, as Orochimaru gave him enough space to come to terms with the idea that someone of the same sex found him attractive, as well as eventually found someone else to date outside of the office staff.

An instance like that hadn’t happened again until last night, though from everything that he could recall, all Itachi had flat out offered was some sort of confidant-like relationship, like a friendship. He never really asked Minato out. But the way Minato had reacted to the man’s smile… it still confused him, that reaction, but it didn’t scare him. And that confused him more, his lack of fear that another man found him attractive. And thinking about it, he hadn’t been afraid of Orochimaru’s advances, just perplexed and unable to respond.

His office building came up on the right, and he turned into the underground parking structure. He tried to get his mind on work, on what assignments he needed to work on, so that he didn’t make some sort of distressing scene in front of his boss who, though no longer pressing his advances, seemed to take a special interest in Minato’s affairs.

Minato parked his car and grabbed his bag from the passenger seat before climbing out. He hit the lock button before shutting the door then made his way to the elevator that would take him to his office floor.

“Good morning, Minato,” the gate watch called, waving as Minato walked past. Minato waved back and extended the same greeting, but he didn’t slow his pace. He pressed the call button for the elevator, and while he waited for the car, was successfully able to think about work things as opposed to other things. He needed to finish the one article on the new restaurant uptown, as well as develop the rest of his photos. Then there was an article about a new exhibit at the art gallery and a special interest article that he had yet to start.

The elevator car arrived, and, thankfully, no one had shown up to share it with him. He got in and pressed the button for the fifth floor, still thinking about the articles as the doors slid shut. It was a rather quick trip when the car didn’t have to stop at every floor, and he soon found himself walking into an already bustling office. Everyone’s deadline was right around the corner, and what was simply called ‘the rush’ had begun. Of course, Minato was further along on his article than many of the others, so he wasn’t yet at that point where he felt time was against him.

He walked up to his work station and sat at the desk portion, setting his bag down on the table next to his desk that held his developed photos and sketches for the page layout. When he looked up, he was surprised to see Orochimaru sitting at the desk across from him rather than in the Editor’s office.

“Maru, what are you doing over here?”

The man in question looked up, a cigarette dangling from his lips, his glasses low on his nose, and his bangs pushed back with a band. He looked as if he’d been working for several days straight.

Orochimaru shrugged and pulled the cigarette from his mouth, using it to point in the direction of his office. “My computer’s fried. IT can’t get here until later this afternoon. Probably nothing they can do.”

Minato looked into the office as if he could see that the computer was fried, though nothing looked out of place to him. Well, the items that had surrounded the computer looked like they had been pushed away from the machine, most notably the pictures of Orochimaru and his boyfriend, which had been moved to the shelving units behind the desk. Minato tried to picture the photos in his mind and seemed to recall at least one of the two posing together on a beach, another at a ski resort of some kind. Minato thought at the recollection that they seemed relatively normal, nothing out of the ordinary about them or utterly different than had Orochimaru had a girlfriend.

“Maru,” Minato said quietly, seeing the man grab his coffee mug out of the corner of his eye. “What’s the difference between men and women?”

Orochimaru practically spit his coffee out of his mouth, coughing as he choked on the hot liquid. He hacked for a moment, slapping himself on his chest, and then he looked incredulously at Minato. “What did you ask?” he managed to gasp out.

Minato felt heat suffuse his cheeks as he finally realized what he’d asked, but it was suddenly a burning question on his mind that would probably incapacitate him for the remainder of the work day. Blushing still, Minato looked up and met Orochimaru’s eyes. “I meant, is there a difference between them, you know, dating them?”

Orochimaru only stared at him, but eventually he looked around to see who might be listening to the conversation. Apparently satisfied that they were being mostly ignored, he finally asked, “Are you thinking of trying guys, Minato?”

“No!” Minato immediately spit out, fidgeting in his seat and trying to duck down so as to be invisible.

“Then what?”

“It’s just…” Minato looked around himself and leaned closer to Orochimaru. “I met someone last night who said that there’s a difference between men and women.”

Orochimaru’s brows furrowed. “You’re going to have to be more specific. There’s more than _one_ difference between men and women.”

Minato glared minutely at the older man. “I am aware,” he bit out. He let out a slow breath. “What he said was that women focus on the future, but men focus on the now, the moment or something.” He stared earnestly at Orochimaru, willing him to understand what he was trying to ask.

Orochimaru’s eyes widened slightly before he clicked his tongue and sat back in his chair. “I get it now. Minato, listen, there’s no difference between men and women when it comes to a committed relationship. There are men out there that are looking for that lifetime connection, just like women. It’s not gender specific, the desire to be with someone forever.”

At a pointed look from Orochimaru, Minato nodded his head, showing he understood and was following what the man said.

“What this man you met last night was trying to get at, I think, is the difference between a relationship and ‘just sex.’” Orochimaru picked up his cigarette and took a long drag. “It’s not like women can’t look for a one-night stand or anything, but somehow it tires them out far earlier than it does men. Some people are just wired to have nothing but one-night stands all their lives, and the fact of the matter is, they’re mostly men.”

“So, you think this man was saying I should live for the moment from now on?” Minato asked in some confusion. That didn’t sound very appealing, sleeping with a different person each time, not having any deeper connection than a fleeting ‘moment.’

Orochimaru clicked his tongue again. “I honestly don’t know what the man was saying, Minato, but if I had to guess, I don’t think he wanted you to live that kind of life. Maybe he meant that you should refresh yourself with this ‘moment’ he spoke of instead of moving from one fruitless relationship to another.”

“Oh.” Minato thought about that for a minute. It made sense. Itachi had witnessed the break with Angie, had heard Minato say he should be alone for the rest of his life. It wouldn’t be out of place to suggest a no-strings attached type of thing to throw off the dregs of a failed relationship and perhaps stave off the desperation that would lead into another rushed and unfulfilling relationship. Maybe.

“Anyway, I wouldn’t think on it right now. You have work to do.”

Minato blinked and watched as Orochimaru pointed his cigarette at Minato’s computer. “Oh, right.” Minato reached up and rubbed at his left shoulder and powered on his computer.

“Also, I took a look at the negatives for the restaurant piece. I’m not seeing the shot I’m looking for. Go back this weekend and take some more.”

Minato only nodded as he opened his unfinished article. It looked like he really would be taking work home with him this weekend.

~*~

The restaurant had been much busier this time around, so Minato felt that he had gotten shots of a better quality. Some of the photos he’d gotten were great action shots of the chefs in the kitchen as they worked, which were probably what Orochimaru had been looking for from the beginning. Minato smiled at the hostess as he left, calling out that he would come back to eat sometime when she suggested he do so.

The night outside was hot but not uncomfortable, so there was still a fair amount of people milling about the sidewalks. This was a busy part of town, full of upscale restaurants and shops. Most of the women that passed him as he made his way back to his car at the garage down the street were half dressed and painted in all sorts of colors, most of them glittery. Minato didn’t consider himself old by any means, but when he looked at the youth of today and the way they entertained themselves—not to mention the lengths they would go to in order to entertain others—he was hard pressed to find anything to envy about them and their lifestyles. So, not old, but maybe old fashioned.

As he got closer to the parking garage, he noticed a rather long line of people outside of a brightly lit building from which he could hear a loud, thumping bass. He walked alongside the line, noting that most if not all the people lined up were male, and as he got closer to the head of the line, he could see the bright neon-light letters that proclaimed the establishment’s name: The Verge.

Minato stopped short in surprise, not having expected to see the place in person so soon after Itachi’s invitation. He took a moment to look around at the surrounding establishments, noting that the club was advantageously located among the rather high-end stores and eateries and close to the public transportation lines, as well as easily accessible to taxis and, if necessary, ambulances. He looked back at the club and finally noticed that his heart rate had picked up in time with the bass emanating from within.

“Hey, gramps, wandering too far from home?” someone shouted at him from the line. Minato turned around and saw a small group of smirking men and one woman. One young man with purple markings on his face laughed when Minato noticed the group, and he called again. “Maybe you have Alzheimer’s and forgot where you live, huh?”

Some of the young people laughed, save one young man with red hair and a red tattoo near his hairline. Minato only stared at him a moment, giving what he was about to do some miniscule thought before he did it so that Naruto didn’t chastise him later, and then he whipped out his wallet and walked up to the bouncer. He flashed his press badge and then the card Itachi had given him. The bouncer didn’t do anything for a moment, but Minato flipped the card over to show the man the phone number and the name that went with it, hoping he wasn’t making Itachi out to be more than he was around the place, and the man’s eyes almost popped out of his skull as he fumbled his clipboard and stuttered out an apology. He moved aside to let Minato in, and after throwing a triumphant smile the purple idiot’s way, he walked inside, replacing the card and badge in his wallet as he went.

He was really ill prepared for the riot of sounds that assaulted him upon entrance, as well as the throng of bodies that made it hotter inside than outside. He watched as multi-colored lights flashed, painting the dancing bodies in rainbows and casting huge, writhing shadows on the walls. A bar lined the far wall, practically stretching from one side of the room to the other, staffed by what looked to be five young men in sleek black uniforms. To either side of the bar looked to be corridors that led off to the back of the club. Minato knew somewhere there had to be the offices and security equipment, but in this kind of atmosphere, he wouldn’t have been surprised to learn that some of the room back there was dedicated to ‘special events.’

The DJ was set up along the wall to the right of the bar, and along the opposite wall, across the large sea of people, was a seating area made up of over-large chairs that could seat more than one person, settees, and couches, all upholstered in what looked to be a kind of cloth rather than leather or plastic from what Minato could tell from this distance. Smartly dressed waiters slipped through the seating area, handing over fresh drinks and removing empty glasses. In watching their movements, Minato spotted Itachi sitting near the back of the area, close to the corridor, surrounded by large, intimidating men and what looked to be guests of the club.

Immediately Minato began to berate himself about just what he thought he was doing. What was he going to do? Just walk up to Itachi and ask, ‘Hey, remember me’? He shook his head. Well, he didn’t have to go up to Itachi. He could just get a drink, take in the scene, and then leave. In fact, he didn’t want Itachi to even know he came here.

Despite that wish, he found himself walking up to the side of bar closet to the seating area, adjacent to Itachi’s location. Maybe it was just curiosity as to what Itachi did at this establishment that drew Minato’s eyes. The bartender finally got to him, and he hurriedly supplied his drink order, a standard from his college days: double shot of whiskey with a beer chaser.

As the bartender turned to pour his shot, someone bumped into Minato, and when he looked up, he saw that it had been two someones who were currently sharing a rather intimate embrace. No wonder they were bumping into people. Minato quickly averted his eyes, feeling heat suffuse his cheeks. When the bartender set his shot and beer in front of him, Minato hastily paid the man and grabbed the shot glass, tapping the bottom against the marble bar before throwing it back. It burned down his throat, but at least now he could blame the blush on the liquor.

Minato grabbed the beer and took a large swig, hoping to quench the fire racing down his throat and burning in his gut. Damn, but whiskey didn’t really agree with him anymore. He slowly set the beer bottle down on the bar and glanced out of the corner of his eye, searching for the couple. They had moved on, and Minato breathed a small sigh of relief. He wasn’t naïve, but he could do without a front row seat.

He turned his head to the other side, toward the sitting area, and his eyes met wide, surprised onyx-colored eyes. Itachi had spotted him and seemed at a loss as to why Minato was at the club. Well, that made two of them.

Not knowing what else to do, Minato hastily raised his beer to Itachi in a toast and slipped away into the throng. He would just make a circuit of the club and leave. That would probably be the most comfortable thing for both of them.

He didn’t get far before a hand landed on his shoulder and turned him around urgently, though not roughly. He looked at Itachi and couldn’t find anything to say. What was he even supposed to say in this kind of situation?

Itachi helped him out there by leaning in close to his ear and asking as he removed his hand, “Minato, it’s such a surprise to see you here. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Minato shook himself out of whatever he was in—a stupor?—to answer. “Uh, I was down the street taking photos and happened to pass by,” he said into Itachi's ear.

Itachi was quiet a moment, but then he smirked the tiniest bit and moved to stand next to Minato, his hand coming up to the small of Minato’s back, pressing lightly to guide him toward where Itachi had been sitting. “Well, that’s my good luck then.” Minato noticed many heads turning in their direction, eyes widening and narrowing in degrees. “I do hope you are enjoying yourself. Come, sit with me for a bit.” Itachi motioned to the bartender to bring them a round of drinks while steadily pushing Minato toward the large, intimidating men he had seen earlier.

Once they reached the couch Itachi had occupied earlier, Minato was urged to sit down, Itachi sitting beside him, and he watched as the men whom he could only assume to be bodyguards now practically closed in around them to block them from the room’s view. One moved aside to let the bartender through and moved back into place after he’d set down the drinks and left.

Itachi reached for their drinks and handed one to Minato. “So, Minato, you said you were taking photos. Of what, may I ask?”

Minato stared at his drink for moment, not entirely sure what it was, before he answered, “There’s a new restaurant down the street. I’m doing a piece on it, and my editor wanted more shots. This time of night is when they get pretty busy, so I got some great shots of the chefs in action.” He grinned as he looked up at Itachi.

“‘This time of night’? Did you just get here? How did you bypass the line?” Itachi seemed rather surprised and almost eager for an answer. Not that Minato could see it in his face, but Itachi’s eyes gave him away. 

Minato found his drink of great importance at that moment, thinking it rude not to enjoy it after Itachi had gone through the trouble of ordering it. Or he was just embarrassed about the events that led up to the question. Regardless, before answering—because Minato was a firm believer that people’s earnest inquiries deserved answers—he took a large swig of his drink, slightly worried when he didn’t immediately taste the alcohol, since those, in his experience, were the ones that jumped up and bit you later.

Bringing his glass down, he looked up at Itachi through his lashes. The fingers of his right hand played nervously with the strap on his camera bag. “Ah, well, I was walking back to my car just now, when your club caught my eye. I was kind of… stunned, I guess, to have stumbled upon it here rather than, you know, downtown.” Downtown, where the other bars and clubs and dives were located. Itachi nodded as if he understood what Minato wasn’t saying. Minato took another drink, recalling the earlier scene, getting agitated as he remembered the young man’s insults. It was probably that agitation—and the alcohol—that had him continuing as if he was speaking to his son and not a stranger.

“Well, yeah, so I was standing there, when this rude asshole called me gramps— _gramps!_ —and asked if I was lost or had Alzheimer’s. So my instincts just kind of took over, telling me I should put him in his place, though I did give it some thought before doing it, I really did,” he insisted, looking Itachi in the eyes to make sure the man knew that. “I didn’t want my son to give me a lecture on looking before I leap, you know? Like he’s one to talk,” Minato added, bringing his drink up and downing the last bit of it in the glass. He saw Itachi signal someone for another drink, and Minato didn’t stop him. The reality of what he’d done was catching up to him, and he wanted to be good and drunk at the moment. He could almost hear Naruto in his head, reminding him that this was a gay bar and getting good and drunk here would get him good and raped or something, but twenty some-odd years of tuning Naruto out came in quite handy.

Another drink magically appeared, and Itachi handed it to him with an amused smirk. “So what did you do to ‘put him in his place’?”

Minato nodded as he reached for the glass, placing the empty one on the table in front of him. “I walked up to the bouncer and flashed my press badge and the card you gave me.” Itachi made a humming noise as Minato took another drink. “By the way, what is it you do here?” he asked as he gestured with his hand to room in general. “The guy kind of freaked when he saw your name on the card.”

Itachi nodded. “As well he should. I am the owner, after all.”

It took a moment for the words to register, and when they did, Minato stared at Itachi in shock. How had someone so young come to own such an establishment?

Itachi must have read the question in his face, because he chuckled lowly and said, “Itachi Uchiha. Nice to meet you.”

Minato felt as if the bottom had fallen out of his stomach. He almost dropped his glass, and only Itachi’s steadying hand kept the contents from spilling all over his pants. No wonder Naruto had been so insistent on Minato staying away from this club, since it was owned and operated by Uchiha. But Itachi didn’t strike him as being anything like his formidable father, and he had to wonder if Naruto’s fears were founded.

Minato swallowed nervously, eyeing the bodyguards that surrounded them. “Is this,” he began, but stopped to wet his lips. He leaned closer to Itachi to continue in a whisper, “Is this a mob-owned club?”

Itachi blinked, and then he laughed. One of his bodyguards started at the sound, but he quickly regained his composure. Itachi leaned back with his own fresh drink, sipping at it slowly as he looked at Minato. “Hm, what a brave man you are, Minato, to ask such an open question. I assure you, almost no one else in this club tonight would dare ask me the same.” His lips quirked up in a small smirk. “But to alleviate your curiosity, I will tell you that no, this place is my own investment and has no connection to my father or his… dealings. In fact, on the record,” he said, leaning forward into Minato’s personal space, “I have no connection to my father or his dealings. Neither does my younger brother.”

“What?” Minato asked, confused. Why had Itachi said that? Oh, wait, Minato had said something about his press badge. “Oh, no, I didn’t, I mean, I’m not that kind of, uh, there’s, um, no record,” he finished lamely.

“It’s alright, Minato. I didn’t think anything of it, though I must admit seeing you flustered is quite the bonus.” Minato knew he was blushing, judging from the amusement flowing from Itachi in the small space between them, which he suddenly found rather intimate, though it didn’t make him uncomfortable.

Shaking himself slightly, Minato looked up and around, peering through the bodyguards’ bodies at the writhing mass of people on the dance floor. “So, what would make you open this type of club, Itachi?” Minato asked. It was simply curiosity, but one had to admit to a fair amount of it when an Uchiha opened a legitimate night club uptown.

Itachi leaned forward to set down his glass. “You mean it isn’t obvious, after the small lesson I gave you on ‘the moment’?”

Minato whipped his head around, surprised yet again by Itachi’s revelation. Of course, he—and others, the Naruto-voice tried to remind him—had suspected that Itachi was gay, but to think he built this place just to have a moment? That was… outlandish, in Minato’s opinion.

“Why is that so surprising?” Itachi asked him seriously. “The constraints of our name and our father have often left my brother and I without proper outlets for our loneliness and frustration. I figured building my own place for such things would be better than letting them build up inside of us until one of us either collapsed or exploded.”

Itachi shrugged, probably trying to let Minato know that such a frank and open conversation about himself didn’t bother him as much as it bothered Minato. Not that it really bothered Minato, what Itachi was saying, but it bothered him on an emotional level that Itachi and his brother had never had someone they could share these kinds of feelings with, that they had to turn to random strangers in a moment. 

“And all of this for that moment?” he asked without thinking about it, blurting out what was foremost in his thoughts.

Itachi stared at him, regarding him coolly before nodding and waving his hand. His bodyguards parted, allowing Minato see the entirety of the club. Itachi gestured to the dancing crowd before them. “That is a sea of lonely people out there, Minato. This place is a haven for them, an outlet, where they can shed the masks they wear during the day without fear of rejection and retribution. And in the morning, they’ll leave for work, returned to being the banker down the street, the sales rep in town for business, even,” Itachi jerked his head toward the bar, “the recently awarded chemist.”

Minato looked over at the bar and saw Naruto, handing money over with a disgruntled look on his face as someone, a young man, clung to his side and nibbled on his neck. The young man looked startlingly like Itachi, younger, leading Minato to assume he was the younger Uchiha son. Naruto said something, shrugging the other man off of his side. The young man only laughed and reached for one of the drinks in Naruto’s hands, and despite the continued scowl on Naruto’s face, Minato watched as his son wrapped an arm around the other’s waist and pulled him away from the bar.

As surprised as he was to see Naruto, something occurred to him, and Minato turned his head back to stare at Itachi. “So you knew who I was?”

Itachi held his hands up. “No, I knew Naruto, and having overheard your conversation, especially the story where your son had won a federal grant, I put two and two together.”

“So why…”

“I didn’t want to seem like a creep, now did I? It certainly would have seemed that way had I walked up and called you by name, so I asked for it.”

Minato couldn’t help it; he laughed. “And walking up to a complete stranger and giving him a ‘small lesson’ on ‘the moment’ wasn’t creepy?”

Itachi’s eyes widened slightly when Minato laughed, but he slowly smirked as Minato finished his question. “I guess it could be seen in that way. But I really did just want to get to know you.”

“And why would you want to get to know me?” Minato asked playfully, starting to feel a little giddy from the alcohol.

Instead of answering, Itachi slowly leaned forward. His hand came up and cupped Minato’s cheek, surprising him by the action, and then Itachi kissed him. Minato was too shocked to move away, frozen at the feel of Itachi’s lips on his own, at his tongue licking lightly, asking Minato to open his lips without being overly demanding.

And for the life of him, Minato would never be able to explain why he did open his lips to let Itachi’s tongue plunge into his mouth. And before he could regret the action, Itachi’s hand slid to his neck, pulling his head slightly to the side for a better angle. Minato’s world tilted, and he grabbed onto the man’s arms as he continued to allow the kiss, kissing back, in fact.

Pleasure began to slowly build inside him, rushing from his lips to his toes and back, most of it settling in the pit of his stomach. When Itachi broke the kiss, Minato let out a small moan of loss, which resulted in Itachi surging forward again, increasing the intensity of the kiss. Minato felt a subtle pull at his neck, and he was so close to following the small prompt to move closer to Itachi, but the sudden vibration of his phone in his pocket startled him, and he pulled away from Itachi, breathing quickly and wondering what he had just let happen.

Itachi leaned forward again, but he didn’t try to kiss him. Instead, he leaned in to whisper in Minato’s ear, “I talked to you that night because I thought perhaps we could share a moment.”

Minato didn’t know what to say to that, to what they just did, but he knew he was blushing like an idiot. Some of it he could attribute to the alcohol, but most of it he knew was embarrassment that he had been led down this particular road by a man younger than him and that he had actually kind of enjoyed it.

Itachi smirked and patted him on the shoulder. “You should probably get home, Minato. You have work do to this weekend, I’m sure.” He nodded to one of his bodyguards, and a man came forward to help Minato up. “Get him into a taxi,” he told the guard. To Minato he said, “Would you like me to inform Naruto about your car?”

Minato shook his head. “I’ll come back for it later,” he whispered, but Itachi got the gist since he nodded his head.

“I hope my actions this evening haven’t offended you, Minato. And my original offer will always stand; if you need someone to talk to, I’m available.”

Minato nodded, and then the guard pulled him away from the couch toward the exit. He placed him in a taxi, asking for his address to give to the driver, and then went back into the club. Minato looked out of the back window at the building until he couldn’t see it anymore, and he turned around in his seat with a sigh. He finally remembered about his phone, and he pulled it from his pocket. It was a text from Naruto. 

_Dad, won’t be back tonight. Don’t work too late. ;P_

Minato smiled at the message. He pictured Naruto at the bar, though, with the young man that looked like Itachi, and his smile slipped, replaced by a frown as an unfamiliar emotion filled him. 

Because for one irrational moment, Minato was jealous.

~*~

Minato growled at his computer as it froze while he was trying to arrange his article. He’d been sucked into the ‘rush’ at work because he’d been so preoccupied, and now he had to work at home every night to catch up. He leaned back in his chair in frustration, glancing at the clock on the wall, which told him it was nearing one in the morning.

Well, working at home didn’t help with the preoccupation. He couldn’t concentrate on work to save his life. Every time he looked at the photos from the restaurant, he couldn’t help but remember the night he’d taken them. Every single moment of it, which had haunted him waking and sleeping for two weeks. During the day, he thought about everything Itachi had said that night, and at night, he thought about everything Itachi had done, swearing that he could feel the other man’s lips even two weeks after the fact.

God, he wasn’t a fucking schoolboy! This was seriously driving him insane. Itachi said he wanted Minato, and though he had felt pretty good at the time, what had he done? He’d fucking run away, scared. But who wouldn’t be? Minato had been straight all his life, and then he found himself attracted to another man, a _younger_ man at that. A dangerous man, by all accounts, but lonely and caring in certain aspects. It would probably never work between them. No matter how intriguing this moment of Itachi’s seemed, it was only a moment, and Minato didn’t want to risk everything on that. Because he had a feeling that if he gave in, he’d never be able to get over someone like Itachi after the young man had his moment and left.

He heard the door open and shut quietly, followed by the sound of someone fumbling about without the aid of a light. Minato rolled his eyes, wondering how drunk Naruto was to not even turn on the light for himself, when he heard a louder thump and then a throaty chuckle that definitely wasn’t Naruto.

Oh, so Naruto thought he could bring someone home while Minato wallowed in some sort of high school melodrama, huh? 

Smiling humorlessly, Minato called out, “Oh, Naruto, dear son, would you join me in my study?” He heard a muffled curse and then hesitant footsteps that got closer to the door. Then the door opened slowly and Naruto poked his head inside.

“Oh, Dad, I didn’t know you were awake. I’m sorry if I disturbed you.”

“You mean, sorry that both of you disturbed me?” He watched as Naruto’s face paled just a little. He suddenly felt bad for taking his anger out on his son and sighed. “Tell him to head upstairs, and then come in.” Naruto disappeared for a moment, and Minato could hear a hushed conversation just outside the door. Then Naruto stepped inside the study and shut the door.

He looked as if he had been caught doing something bad, and he wouldn’t meet Minato’s eyes. A slight blush tinted his cheeks, and Minato realized that Naruto was embarrassed at being caught, probably because he’d been caught with another man. But why was that so strange when Naruto had already admitted to liking both sexes?

“Naruto,” he began, confused by his son’s behavior and wanting to talk about it. Naruto looked up, a large amount of uncertainty in his eyes, like he thought he was about to be royally bitched out.

“Dad—”

Minato held up his hand to stall Naruto. “Listen, Naruto, you are a grown man, and I trust you to make your own decisions, even if as a grown man you still live with your father.” He smiled as Naruto began to scowl at him. “I’m just curious, Naruto. You’ve been very open with your old man about your preferences, but you’re so closed about the details of you love life. Such as, who is your companion tonight? An acquaintance? A boyfriend? I’ve no clue, Naruto,” he said, shrugging as he finished and stared at Naruto expectantly.

Naruto stared at the floor, his fingers worrying the hem of his shirt. Then he sighed and sat in one of the chairs in front of Minato’s desk. “I guess I just worry that you’ll be, I don’t know, disgusted by that side of my life, you know? I don’t want you to hate me,” he whispered.

Minato sat stunned that his son would feel that way. Naruto had come out so many years ago, and Minato had accepted it. But to think Naruto had spent as many years thinking that Minato was in any way disappointed or disgusted hurt him deeply, like he had made a mistake with his son somewhere and he hadn’t properly expressed his feelings.

He suddenly recalled the conversation he’d had with Itachi two weeks ago, the words ‘masks,’ ‘rejection,’ and ‘retribution’ ringing in his head. Did Naruto feel like that, as Itachi had implied? Was that Minato’s fault in some way?

After a moment of silence, Minato said, “Naruto, if we’d had this conversation three weeks ago, I would probably have said that while I don’t understand your situation, I can appreciate your autonomy. You’re free to love whomever you want. Or you’re free to lust after whomever you want. But now, now I think I can understand a little.” Minato recalled the excitement he’d felt meeting Itachi, and the pleasure he’d felt kissing the man. Minato wet his lips, hesitating on his next question. “Is he,” he gestured upstairs, “just a moment for you?”

Naruto stared at him questioningly, as if he was trying to find the catch in the words, the trick that would lead him into a shitload of trouble, but as Minato had no such plot, Naruto could only answer after a moment. “Ah, well, that’s how it started, I guess.” Naruto leaned back in the chair and let out a huge sigh. “He’s someone I know from college. We never really got along that well, but you know how a little spark starts a flame, blah, blah. It was supposed to be a one-time thing, you know?”

Minato nodded, suddenly wondering if the man upstairs was Itachi’s brother.

“But a one-time thing became a fu-ah, a buddy type of relationship, you know, stress relief and stuff, whenever we felt like it. But lately, lately, um, I guess I’ve been sort of, I don’t know, wanting to spend more time with him and stuff, but I know he doesn’t want that.”

“What’s his name?”

“Huh? Oh, Sasuke.”

Minato nodded. “Okay, you think Sasuke wants a relationship of convenience, and you think you might want something more, huh?” Naruto nodded, fidgeting in his chair as he waited for Minato to continue. “Naruto, this man followed you home, knowing you live with your father. Don’t you think someone who wants a relationship of convenience would go somewhere with less chance to be interrupted or put off? I know that’s not like, solid evidence that Sasuke cares for you, but I don’t think you should push aside a good thing just because you think it might not go well.”

Minato blinked at his own words, Itachi’s face suddenly flashing through his mind. _He_ had been pushing aside a good thing just because he didn’t think it would go well. Well, he couldn’t be sure that Itachi was a good thing, but the feelings the man evoked in Minato—feelings Minato hadn’t felt in decades—made him think Itachi was as good a thing as he’d come across for the rest of his life.

“But, Dad, what if it doesn’t go well? I could lose him. And, and I don’t want that.”

Minato sighed and rubbed his hands over his face before regarding his son seriously. “Naruto, I am probably the expert on status quo relationships. Keeping things as they are will only hurt one of you down the road. So be honest. If it ruins everything, at least it’s now, at the beginning, so you’ll be able to get over it fairly quickly.”

Naruto looked skeptical, doubting the resiliency of his young heart, but he nodded slowly. “I guess you’re right. I should just be honest with Sasuke.”

And Minato should be honest, too. He couldn’t be a hypocrite to his own son. “Alright, let’s get out of here. I’m not staring at this computer a minute longer. And you have a maybe-boyfriend to talk to.” Naruto laughed and they stood, walking together to the door and exiting the study. Down the hall they came to halt because Sasuke was sitting on the bottom step of the stairs, obviously waiting for Naruto.

“Sasuke, what are you doing?”

Sasuke shrugged. “You took too long.” Naruto turned to look at Minato in confusion, and Minato only grinned, nodding in Sasuke’s direction, silently saying that a partner of convenience wouldn’t anxiously await his return.

Naruto looked between the two of them. “Oh, I’m sorry. Dad, this is Sasuke. Sasuke, this is, um, my dad, Minato Namikaze.”

Sasuke stood from the stairs and extended his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Namikaze.”

“Likewise, Sasuke. Listen, you be good to my boy, you hear?” Naruto cried his name in embarrassment, but Minato noticed the extra squeeze Sasuke gave his hand before releasing it, as if reassuring Minato that he would.

“And you my brother, Mr. Namikaze,” Sasuke said quietly as Naruto grabbed his arm and pulled him up the stairs.

Minato was speechless for a second, but he managed to ask before the boys disappeared, “Is he at The Verge tonight?”

Sasuke turned his head and nodded once before he was hauled out of sight. Minato stopped to give what he was about to do some thought so that Naruto didn’t chastise him later, and then he whirled around and grabbed his keys and his jacket on his way out of the house. It didn’t take him too long to hop into his car and drive off.

Minato was surprised by how set he was on this. Itachi had offered something he’d never considered wanting before, but the past two weeks had given the idea time to fester, to the point that Minato could think of nothing else but the kiss they’d shared and the many more things Itachi could teach him about how to live in the now, despite Minato’s own misgivings. But Naruto was grown and making his own decisions, needing less and less advice from his old man, so it only made sense that Minato should do everything for himself now, should take care of his own needs.

And he finally thought he knew what he needed—a release. Ever since Kushina had left him, Minato couldn’t deny that he’d made it a habit to sacrifice his happiness to keep from being hurt. But Itachi was willing to help rectify that with one night of passion, and Minato was willing to give it a try. Maybe.

Fifteen minutes saw him in the parking garage he’d parked in two weeks ago, and he just sat in his car for five minutes, breathing in and out and hoping he wasn’t making a mistake. But not trying for fear of being mistaken was what had made him the way he was in the first place. His own words echoed in his ears about pushing aside a good thing because it might not work out. Again, he refused to be a hypocrite.

Exiting his car, he walked quickly to the garage exit, hoping he’d be able to get into the club. It might have been early in the morning, but popular spots like The Verge tended to be standing room only until closing, which proved to be an accurate assumption on his part as he came nearer to the club. The line outside was still long, people hoping they would be lucky enough to slip in for an hour or two before the club closed at four. Minato’s steps faltered, his hopes that he would get to see Itachi quickly dying.

But, remarkably, the bouncer spotted him, recognized him, and ushered him toward the door. Minato found himself once again assaulted by the pounding bass and standing wide eyed and lost in a sea of writhing people. He finally found the nerve to move, slowly making his way back to the seating area that Itachi had occupied before.

He saw the familiar ring of bodyguards, and he felt both relieved and more anxious. He walked in that direction, wondering if the bodyguards would even let him through, but he need not have worried, as one gave him a nod in greeting and moved aside.

Minato thanked him as he passed and turned his head forward to find Itachi, but what greeted him was not what he had expected. 

Seated on Itachi’s lap and nibbling at Itachi’s ear was a young man, probably younger than Naruto, and as Minato watched, he leaned back and licked a trail from Itachi’s ear to his lips.

Of course. Why hadn’t Minato thought of this? Itachi was a prize that anyone would covet. Of course Minato wouldn’t really stand a chance. He’d been quite the fool to think otherwise, huh? Well, he’d at least given it a try. And while his heart wasn’t quite as resilient anymore, he was sure he’d be okay. Just like he’d told Naruto, at least this happened at the beginning and not somewhere down the line where someone— _Minato_ —would’ve gotten hurt.

He must have stood there too long, because Itachi turned his eyes toward him. Minato was rooted to the spot only long enough to watch Itachi’s eyes widen comically, and then he was moving through the throng of people for the exit. He’d almost reached it when a waitress bumped into him, thankfully free of drinks or empty glasses, and he stumbled backwards. Right into someone’s chest. Arms immediately came up to encircle him, and he recognized the fine material of Itachi’s shirt.

For a second, Minato contemplated fighting the hold and continuing on his way out, but then Itachi leaned down and whispered his name into his ear, breathily, almost as if he couldn’t believe Minato was there, and the instinct to flee died instantly, replaced by something he couldn’t quite identify.

The waitress apologized profusely, but Itachi waved her aside and stepped away from Minato, keeping hold of his wrist and pulling him back the way he’d come. As they neared Itachi’s seat, Minato saw the young man from moments before, his arms crossed over his chest as he glared indignantly at Minato from his spot against the bar.

They passed through the ring of bodyguards, who immediately shifted to prevent anyone from entering or watching, and Itachi practically threw Minato down on the couch. Minato looked up at Itachi, finally realizing that he had probably agitated a rather dangerous man. But Itachi was only standing there, hands on his hips as he stared at the floor, just breathing in and out like Minato had earlier in the car.

Finally, Itachi looked up, mostly composed. “Good morning, Minato. What a surprise. How can I help you?” He tried to look nonchalant as he returned to his seat and picked up his glass to take a drink.

Minato looked down at his pants, picking at an imaginary piece of fuzz. The image of Itachi and that man—that _boy_ —still burned in his mind, and he couldn’t quite bring himself to follow through with his plans. “No, I didn’t come here for anything. I just… thought I’d say hello. I’m sorry I disturbed you.” He nodded his head at Itachi and moved to leave, but Itachi reached out and grabbed his wrist again.

“I don’t believe you would come all the way down here for nothing, Minato. This isn’t exactly your type of place.”

The words made him angry, for some reason, and a small voice in the back of his head, that Naruto voice that he ignored most of the time, told him that he was being ridiculous and that there was no reason to get mad. But Itachi’s words, to Minato, made it seem like Itachi hadn’t expected or wanted him to ever return. So instead of listening to the voice, he jerked his wrist out of Itachi’s grasp and practically growled, “And just what do you think I came down here for?”

Itachi was quiet. He stared at Minato, as if actually trying to think of why Minato would be there, and then he said, almost hesitantly, “I guess you would come here to ask for an interview. You have a deadline coming up soon, am I right? No better article than one highlighting the posh night life of the city.”

The look in Itachi’s eyes told Minato what Itachi thought of that, how it would disgust him beyond anything if that turned out to be true. Because of course Itachi didn’t believe that to be the case. Otherwise he wouldn’t have run after Minato like he had, right? Wouldn’t have held Minato so gently to keep him from leaving, wouldn’t have whispered his name in such a needy way. Wouldn’t have needed to compose himself had he believed Minato there for any other reason than just to see Itachi, to be with him, if for only… a moment.

With that thought, instead of bitching out the younger man and storming out of the club, Minato sat back down on the couch and looked Itachi squarely in the eyes. He looked the same as always, like he had when they’d first met what felt like forever ago, but something was different. He looked more vulnerable, at least to Minato. He looked on the verge of losing his cool and calm façade to an emotion he probably didn’t have much experience with—desperation.

Itachi was _desperate_ to keep him there, Minato realized. Because he longed for the same moment that Minato had for the past two weeks. All of this Minato could read in the endless inky depths of the man’s eyes.

Exhaling a small breath to calm himself, even as his heart increased its pace, Minato leaned forward into Itachi’s personal space and whispered, “I came down here to ask,” he paused, unconsciously licking his lips as his eyes darted to the closest guards, “if I could have a moment with you.” Minato moved his eyes back to Itachi, hoping his gaze relayed that it wasn’t a moment of Itachi’s time that he was asking for.

He knew Itachi understood when the man swallowed, his lips trembling just slightly as his mouth opened to reply. But instead of words, Itachi surged forward and captured Minato’s lips in a fierce kiss that caused more pain than pleasure at first, until Itachi’s tongue swiped over the sting and forced itself inside Minato’s mouth.

Itachi’s hands came up and threaded through Minato’s hair, pulling him even closer than Minato thought possible. Their positions on the couch prevented full bodily contact, but Minato’s stomach was pressed into Itachi’s side as they continued to kiss.

Minato found himself quite eager to participate in this kiss, and he tried to let Itachi know he really did want this. His hands came up behind Itachi, grasping the material at the man’s shoulders, and he sucked and played with the tongue doing all kinds of wonderful things in his mouth.

When Itachi broke the kiss, Minato moaned at the loss, following the retreating lips slightly until Itachi’s hands on either side of his head held him still. The hands forced him to look up into Itachi’s eyes, the black depths filled with want, need, and an odd seriousness that clashed with the theme of the night’s adventure, namely momentary bliss.

“Minato, are you sure you want this? If we leave this seat and enter one of the back rooms, I will not let you get away.”

Minato didn’t trust his voice to clearly express his willingness, so he was the one to surge forward and kiss Itachi, surprising the man only for a second before he returned the kiss. It was brief, Itachi breaking it off once again, but it was followed by Itachi grabbing his hand this time and hauling him off the couch. Itachi’s bodyguards parted immediately, and Itachi dragged him to the corridor by the bar. Minato was aware of the stares they received, but they quickly disappeared down the corridor and came to a door near the end of the hall.

Itachi turned the doorknob and forcefully swung the door open, pulling Minato behind him as he entered the room. He jerked Minato ahead of him so that Minato stood in the middle of the room, able to see the large bed that made up most of the furniture. A small nightstand was tucked away in the corner next to the bed, supporting a low-light lamp and a clock. It was far from a hotel room, but it wasn’t seedy or anything. Not that Minato had experience with seedy places.

He heard the lock click into place behind him, and he slowly turned to face Itachi. The man had his sharp gaze on Minato, and as he walked forward, he reached his hands up to loosen his tie. “This might be a stupid question, Minato, but I want to make sure we cover all of our bases tonight.” He pulled the tie from around his neck and let it slip to the floor. He moved up to Minato, so close their chests nearly touched as they breathed, and asked, his eyes staring straight into Minato’s, “Have you ever done this before?”

It was on the tip of his tongue to answer that yes, he’d had sex before, when it hit him what exactly Itachi was asking: Had Minato had sex with _men_ before? He felt small tremors race up and down his body, clenched his fists to keep his hands from shaking and tempting him to back out. He really didn’t even want to speak for fear of what might come out of his mouth, so he shook his head, slowly, never breaking eye contact with Itachi.

A slow, seductive smirk spread over Itachi’s lips, and he leaned in closer. “Good,” he whispered, before he claimed Minato’s lips for a kiss. It was slow, a gentle glide of lips on lips, and then Itachi swiped his tongue across the seam of Minato’s lips and forced his way in, the kiss now hungry and urgent, forcing Minato to answer it or be completely consumed by it.

So, he kissed Itachi back with the same fervor and hunger. He reached his hands up to Itachi’s neck, using one to pull at the tie that held the man’s obsidian-black hair back from his face, freeing the strands to wrap around Itachi’s broad back. He then plunged his hand into the strands at the nape of Itachi’s neck, using the leverage to momentarily dominate the kiss and show Itachi that he was a very willing participant. Itachi practically growled as he regained control, his own hands coming up to pull at Minato’s jacket, breaking Minato’s hold on his hair and forcing his arms to the side as the jacket slipped off to the floor.

Itachi broke the kiss then, and despite Minato’s displeased groan, moved away from his lips. But Itachi’s lips didn’t move from Minato’s body, as he steadily kissed a trail down his jaw and to his neck, where he began to suck at the juncture where neck met shoulder, pushing Minato gently backwards as he did so. Minato moved without resistance, the backs of his knees hitting the edge of the bed, and marveled at how Itachi was able to follow him down onto the bed without breaking contact with Minato’s body.

At a particularly harsh suck, Minato cried out softly, just slightly raising his hips off the bed. But Itachi was so close to him that the action had him sliding against Itachi’s body, which made him fully aware of his erection, as bright lights danced behind his eyelids and pleasure coursed through his body. Itachi chuckled darkly above him as he ground down gently, rotating his hips slightly, giving Minato only the barest hint of contact before it was gone, leaving him panting and wanting beneath him.

Itachi resumed kissing Minato’s neck, moving slowly down the column as his hands came up to unbutton Minato’s shirt. Itachi kissed the patches of skin that each button revealed, swiping his tongue along Minato’s bellybutton, but stopped at the last button that was hidden in the waistband of his pants.

Minato breathed hard, Itachi’s ministrations being more than he had experienced in some time. Or maybe it was just that this was so different from his past experiences, that he was more excited and anxious than he ever had been. He felt so on edge from so little already, not to mention nervous about what came next. His eyes snapped open when he felt Itachi’s hands begin to unbutton his jeans, and the sound of the zipper releasing the teeth practically echoed in the confines of the room.

“Just relax, Minato,” Itachi said lowly, bending down over Minato’s open fly. “I’m going to take _very_ good care of you.”

And then he slipped his fingers into the slit of his boxers and stroked Minato’s cock lightly, watching him from beneath the fall of hair that had slid over his shoulder and pooled over Minato’s knee. Minato nodded, silently telling Itachi that he would at least try. Itachi smirked in response before he quickly sat up, removing his fingers from Minato’s boxers, and pulled Minato’s shoes off before he moved to pull at the waistband of Minato’s jeans, quickly divesting Minato of the garment. He’d also managed to grab his boxers in the process, pulling them off with the jeans, leaving Minato bare from the waist down with his shirt open to the last button. Itachi reached up and undid the final button, smoothing his palms over Minato’s stomach as he pushed the shirt fabric off to the side of Minato’s body.

Minato blushed as Itachi raked his eyes over his body. He was ashamed, suddenly, thinking his forty-plus-year-old body couldn’t possibly be attractive enough to keep Itachi interested. But Itachi didn’t look disgusted; in fact, he licked his lips and smoothed his hands over more of Minato’s skin, tracing the faint indentions of muscle that Minato hadn’t fully lost from his youth.

“You look,” Itachi paused, his hands skimming down Minato’s legs and back up, “Delicious,” he finished, surprising Minato. Itachi chuckled before he leaned further over Minato’s prone body. “I’ve always thought that Naruto’s skin color was manufactured, despite his best attempts to convince me otherwise. But to see his father spread out before me with the same honey-gold skin _everywhere_ , tempting me to lick at every inch I see, I believe I may owe him an apology.”

Minato didn’t know what to say to that, but he didn’t have to worry, because Itachi bent down and kissed his chest, sliding his lips over to a nipple to lick and nip at the nub, both gentle and hard nips that stole words from Minato in favor of small gasps and moans as Itachi played with something he’d never known had been an erogenous zone for him. He felt his cock harden more between his legs in answer to the sensations Itachi introduced to his body. Then Itachi bit down on his nipple, suddenly stroking his cock at the same time, causing Minato to yelp and arch his back off the bed with the unexpected onslaught of pleasure and pain that warred between the two points of contact. Pleasure won out as Itachi continued to stroke his cock, but moved his mouth down his chest to his stomach, swirling his tongue in the indention of his bellybutton and tracing the lines of his abs. Minato almost laughed from the ticklish sensation, but he couldn’t quite make any other sound but pants as he fought for control of his breathing.

It suddenly occurred to him that while he was new to this particular scenario of intercourse, he wasn’t a complete stranger to the protocols involved. Meaning, he thought to himself as he reached his hands up to bury in Itachi’s long black hair, he shouldn’t just lay back and do nothing like a scared virgin.

“Itachi,” he said, his voice a slight whisper from breathlessness. Itachi looked up, his hand slowing but not stopping on his cock. He didn’t need to say anything else, because Itachi surged up and kissed him, letting Minato take charge of the kiss and taste Itachi like he hadn’t been able to earlier. He moved his hands from Itachi’s hair as the kiss continued, running them down Itachi’s cheeks and neck to the first button on his silk shirt. He undid the first button with both hands, but then moved his left hand down as he continued to unbutton the shirt with his right.

He reached down for Itachi’s hand on his cock, wrapping around it and guiding it to the speed that he desired. Itachi seemed to understand what he wanted, but instead of letting Minato remain in control of his own pleasure, he knocked his hand aside and continued by himself, his fist tightening on Minato’s cock and speeding up beyond even what Minato had urged. Then he pushed Minato’s tongue from his mouth with his own, following its retreat into Minato’s mouth and dominating Minato yet again.

Minato broke the kiss, breathing hard as he felt his orgasm building in his gut. He leaned back on his left hand, his right delving into the waistband of Itachi’s pants and finding the man’s hard cock trapped within his underwear. He hadn’t unbuttoned the pants, so he didn’t have enough room to maneuver his fingers inside the underwear to feel the hot length, but he pressed the back of his fingers into Itachi’s cock, moving them up and down in a petting motion.

Itachi’s mouth moved down the column of his neck, sucking harshly over and over again, leaving multiple red welts in his wake that Minato would have a hard time explaining away to Maru and Naruto. But then his mouth was suddenly gone from his upper chest. Minato only had a moment to wonder where it had gone before Itachi enveloped the tip of his cock in his mouth and sucked. Minato cried out at the sensation, unexpected as it had been, and moaned as Itachi bobbed his head up and down, his lips sliding along the length of his cock and his tongue swirling around the tip and inside the slit. The tightening in Minato’s gut grew taut, like a string about to snap. Then Itachi ghosted one finger around his balls and to his anus, pressing lightly, and Minato tensed and came with a raw cry that might have been Itachi’s name.

Itachi swallowed everything, sucking lightly until Minato’s tremors had passed and his body had relaxed, letting him fall back on the bed. Minato covered his eyes with his hands, wondering how in the world he would recover from such mind-blowing pleasure. It might have just been the moment, but he swore it had never been that intense before. He heard Itachi chuckle and felt him move away, felt the mattress lift a bit as Itachi got off the bed. Minato took a deep breath and moved his hands away from his eyes, finding Itachi walking around the bed to the nightstand.

“You in the throes of passion are quite the sight to behold, Minato, and I’m eager to see it again,” Itachi said as he opened one of the drawers of the nightstand. He pulled out a bottle and a condom, and Minato became acutely aware of what came next. Itachi threw the items on the bed next to Minato and began to divest himself of his clothes. Minato sat up and tried not to stare, moved his eyes from Itachi’s form to the door, the wall, and finally to the items that lay next to him on the bed.

The bottle was turned in such a way that he couldn’t read the label, but he wasn’t stupid, knew it to be lubricant that would allow Itachi to successfully, if not easily, enter Minato’s body, the thought of which had Minato swallowing nervously and blushing violently. But this is what he came for, what, he found after quick reflection, he wasn’t afraid of doing. He was only afraid of what happened afterward, when the moment was over.

A hand suddenly passed over his brow, pressing gently. He looked up to see Itachi, naked save for a necklace dangling from his neck, leaning over him, a small frown on his lips. “Are you okay, Minato? You look concerned.”

Minato blinked, taking care to keep his eyes on Itachi’s face and not other parts, and then he shook his head, clearing it of the thoughts that must have crossed his face for Itachi to have noticed. He reached a hand up to cover the one that had slid to his cheek, smiling slightly at the young man before him. “I’m okay. Just had a thought that bothered me. It’s okay, not about this. This is fine. This I want,” he said, moving forward to gently press his lips to Itachi’s.

Itachi hummed into the kiss, returning the gentle pressure as his hand on Minato’s cheek moved to his hair, angling his head for better access to his mouth as he pushed him back onto the bed. Minato went without a fight, his own hands tangling in Itachi’s long hair as the kiss grew in urgency. He felt Itachi’s other hand skim his hip in a quest for the bottle of lube, heard the snap of the cap popping open. Itachi pulled back, moving himself between Minato’s legs and sitting back on his heels. He brought the lube to the fingers of his free hand and squeezed out a large amount. He set the bottle aside, rubbing his fingers together to spread the lubricant.

“Don’t be nervous, Minato. This is your first time, so it may be uncomfortable, but I told you earlier that I would take very good care of you. And I meant it,” Itachi said seriously, capturing Minato’s eyes with his own and waiting for Minato to nod in understanding, in agreement to the unspoken question of ‘Can I?’ that lingered in the depths of Itachi’s eyes.

Itachi nodded in return, and then his fingers were at Minato’s opening, rubbing gently around the sensitive pucker. His other hand came up to tenderly stroke Minato’s cock, giving Minato something else to concentrate on besides the fingers playing with his hole. The gentle touches were erotic in a way, intimate touches that Minato had never felt before, sending shocks of pleasure up his spine and down to his toes.

A finger slid inside him, gentle and strangely unobtrusive, but he tensed anyway, not used to such a sensation. Itachi uttered soothing sounds, moving forward to kiss Minato, using his lips and tongue and hand to distract Minato from the gentle thrusts of the finger. When a second finger pushed its way inside, Minato broke the kiss and hissed, his body tensing and relaxing in turns and his hands coming up to grasp at Itachi’s shoulders. Itachi’s grip on his cock tightened slightly, though his speed didn’t change, but it could no longer distract Minato from the movement of two fingers sliding in and out of his ass, scissoring apart and stretching the ring of flesh and muscle. Then Itachi’s fingers twisted, pressing on something inside him and rubbing intently, stimulating what Minato knew to be his prostate until small jolts of pleasure assaulted Minato. Then the fingers pulled back, pulling a small moan from Minato. But Itachi smirked down at him and pushed his fingers back in, stabbing at his prostate, sending a lightning bolt of pleasure surging up his spine and causing his back to lift off the bed, his cry reverberating around the small room.

A third finger joined the other two, alternating between stretching his opening, thrusting in and out, and pressing against his prostate, driving Minato crazy. Itachi’s hand had never let up on his cock during this process, and Minato found himself thrusting up into that tight fist and then back onto the fingers in his ass, his breathy moans and inarticulate cries for more echoing in his ears.

“Itachi, please,” he finally begged, wanting to finish this, dying to alleviate the pressure in his balls, dying to feel the wave of sensation and pleasure that waited to consume him that lay just within reach, if only Itachi would tighten his fist or speed up the thrust of his fingers, which the man refused to do. He lay panting and covered in a fine sheen of sweat, his fingers digging into Itachi’s shoulders. He opened his eyes and captured Itachi’s attention, wet his lips slowly, and whispered, “Please.”

Itachi closed his eyes, a small moan escaping him, but his fingers pulled out of Minato, and he moved closer, positioning Minato’s legs to either side of his hips. He reached for the condom next to Minato, ripping the foil with his teeth, and quickly rolled the slicked condom onto his hard, red cock, hissing as his fingers moved down the sensitive shaft.

He looked up at Minato, his eyes burning with passion as he smoothed his hands down Minato’s chest. “You are gorgeous, Minato, like a fantasy come to life,” he said, leaning down to kiss at any part of Minato’s skin that he could reach. Then he leaned back and grabbed the base of his cock, shifting to line it up with Minato’s opening. “Just breathe, Minato, and relax.”

Minato nodded, monetarily holding his breath before he realized what he was doing. He took a deep breath, feeling the tip of Itachi’s cock press against him, and then exhaled sharply when Itachi pushed inside. Itachi’s hand was back on his cock, stroking it to distract and relax Minato, which worked until Itachi pushed in more. Minato settled his head back on the pillow beneath him, closing his eyes and concentrating on the pleasure rather than the pain. Itachi was going slowly, giving him time to adjust to the intrusion, so he figured he should do his best to help.

“Good, Minato,” Itachi soothed, the slightest hitch in his voice. “Almost done. Breathe. Relax.” There was more pushing, more pressure, until Minato felt the heat of Itachi’s balls against his skin. He was breathing hard, trying to get through the pain, but he could hear Itachi breathing just as erratically, his muscles jumping and twitching as he restrained himself for Minato’s sake.

When the pain became bearable, just a burning sensation rather than ragged pain, he moved his hands up and down Itachi’s arms, soothing the trembling in the muscles as Itachi held himself up and still. “Itachi, go ahead,” he said, staring into Itachi’s eyes to let the young man know he was ready and serious.

Itachi nodded, exhaling a tremulous breath before pulling out of Minato slightly and pushing back in, testing the waters to make sure Minato could really handle it. Minato grunted, able to tolerate the minimal pain that still lingered, and squeezed Itachi’s shoulders, telling him to let loose and do what he wanted.

Itachi apparently needed no other prompting, as he began to pull almost all the way out before slowly but forcefully pushing back in, the tip of his cock just barely grazing Minato’s prostate. He continued the slow torture until Minato’s hips began to move with him, pulling back as Itachi pulled out and pushing down as Itachi pushed in, meeting Itachi’s thrusts. As the slow, powerful thrusts continued, Minato began to make frustrated noises in the back of his throat, his feet coming up to push into the small of Itachi’s back.

“What is it, Minato? Is there something I can do for you?” Itachi had the nerve to ask, amusement clear in his voice.

Minato growled, but he knew what Itachi was waiting for. “Harder, Itachi. Harder and faster,” he demanded, scowling at a chuckling Itachi.

“As you wish, Gorgeous.” And Itachi slammed into him, jabbing his prostate and making Minato scream at the intensity of the pleasure that washed through him. Itachi pulled out and slammed back in, his thrusts quicker and harder, just as Minato had asked. His pace was brutal, but Minato kept up, his hips moving to meet each thrust, his ankles crossed behind Itachi’s back to keep the man in place. Minato twined his arms around Itachi’s neck, pulling the other down for a searing kiss as their bodies continued to violently rock against each other.

Minato could feel the tension inside him grow taut, almost painfully so, before it broke, sending him over the edge into a gulf of white hot bliss. He screamed Itachi’s name as he came, his body tightening around the hot length inside him as Itachi continued to thrust, his rhythm stuttering as he found his own release. He whispered Minato’s name, and Minato shuddered from the sound of utter contentment and satiation in his voice.

After a minute of just trying to catch their breaths, Itachi pushed himself up and carefully pulled out of Minato, moving off the bed to rid himself of the condom. Minato was left on the bed to sort out his condition, trying to move his lower body and wincing at the painful pull of overly used muscle. His waist felt heavy, and he could only hope that Itachi didn’t want him to leave immediately, now that the moment was over.

Itachi returned to the bed with a wet rag in hand, and he set about cleaning Minato of cum and sweat. It embarrassed Minato, that care, since he was older and should be able to do it himself. But Itachi only slapped his hand away when he reached for the cloth, telling him to take it easy and lie still. When he was done, Itachi threw the rag on the floor and joined Minato in bed, curling his body around Minato’s in a rather intimate way that made Minato blush.

Itachi chuckled. “After what we just did, you are still embarrassed?”

Minato scowled at the ceiling. “I’m not embarrassed. But doing this with a man—a _younger_ man, at that—is just not something I ever thought would happen to me. I’m a little unsure of what I should be doing.”

Itachi chuckled again. “You do nothing, Minato. We just lay here and wait for sleep to claim us. And in the morning, we’ll go on with our lives with the memory of a beautiful and _satisfying_ moment.”

Minato hummed in response, but he frowned out of Itachi’s sight, worried at the way the word ‘memory’ sliced at him like a hot blade across his chest, worried about how he was supposed to go on with his life in the morning as if nothing had changed about him. He didn’t think he loved Itachi, but he couldn’t deny an affection and attraction, or else he didn’t think he would have gone through with this. And he couldn’t really imagine finding someone else to do this with when the urge struck him, if it ever did again.

He felt Itachi’s breath even out next to him, and he reached his hand up to run it through the bangs in front of Itachi’s face. A face that was distinct and handsome, and Minato recalled the young man that had been on Itachi’s lap earlier. That was the kind of person Itachi should share his bed with, Minato thought, not some middle aged man going through a sexual crisis of some sort.

Minato let out a short breath, determined to put this out of his mind long enough to sleep. In the morning he’d deal with his troubled feelings about sex, Itachi, and the future.

~*~

Minato sat at his kitchen table, reading the latest publication of his magazine as he drank a cup of coffee. He didn’t particularly like the way the printers had changed the layout of his article, but it was too late to do anything about it now. He clicked his tongue in disgust, turning the page to begin an article about which flowers to plant in the garden this month. He was almost through it when the kitchen door swung open to admit Naruto.

Minato smiled to see his son, but it faltered slightly when he saw Sasuke behind him. Not that he was unhappy to see Sasuke, since it meant Naruto’s relationship with the young man had gone in a positive direction, but seeing him only reminded Minato of Itachi, whom he hadn’t seen in three weeks, since the morning of their short affair.

“Evening, Dad. Sasuke’s here,” Naruto said as he headed for the refrigerator. Sasuke nodded his head and sat at the table after prompting from Minato. Naruto brought two cans of soda to the table, pushing one toward Sasuke. “I’ll be right back. Just want to change my clothes.”

Naruto left the kitchen, and Minato turned his eyes to Sasuke and smiled. “So how are things with you, Sasuke?”

“Fine,” he said as he opened his soda. He took a sip, his brow furrowed as he contemplated something. When he set his can down, he crossed his arms over his chest and looked Minato in the eye. “Better than Itachi.”

Minato inhaled sharply, the edge of the magazine crumpling in his hand. He caught himself and tried for a calm attitude. “What does that mean? Is Itachi unwell?”

Sasuke shook his head. “He’s not unwell, but he’s different lately, shorter of temper. He’s letting his emotions show more than he ever has before. I’m concerned.”

Minato didn’t know what to say to that, so he kept silent and drank his coffee. He wanted to ask when this change in Itachi had occurred, but he was sure it had nothing to do with him. Itachi thought of him only as a memory, so something else must be bothering the man.

“Have you thought about my brother since you slept together?” Sasuke asked suddenly. Minato was grateful he hadn’t had coffee in his mouth or he would have sprayed it all over the kitchen table. Instead he just gaped at Sasuke, unable to form words in his shock at such a blunt question.

He finally swallowed and asked, “Why?”

Sasuke shrugged. “He thinks of you. A lot. Talks about you all the time, whether he knows it or not. I just wanted to know if he was alone in his feelings.”

“What feelings?” Minato whispered, unsure he wanted to hear the answer. Itachi was the one who said it would only be a memory. Minato didn’t want to hear otherwise after all the turmoil his emotions had been through the past three weeks. “Itachi said he wanted a moment with me, that’s all.”

Sasuke nodded. “It might have started out that way. That’s Itachi’s coping mechanism, his defense against things that might hurt him, relationship-wise. He’s afraid of intimacy.” Sasuke uncrossed his arms and reached one hand out toward his can of soda, pushing it across the table with his finger. “The drama that is our lives has left Itachi unable to truly connect with anyone, or so I thought. But Itachi’s interest in you was sparked by Naruto’s stories, and now that he’s met and, you know, _had_ you, I think he’s quite fascinated and attached to you.”

“That… can’t be true,” Minato said, more to himself than Sasuke.

Sasuke shrugged again. “I could be wrong, but I think he has feelings for you. But you’re straight and Naruto’s father, so he may be depriving himself of something he wants to make others happy.”

Minato said nothing, afraid of what would come out if he did. Feelings he’d been trying to squash were now bubbling to the surface. Three weeks ago he’d told himself that he wasn’t in love with Itachi, but the amount of time he spent thinking about the man, dreaming about him, and wanting him beyond all good sense had him thinking otherwise. How many nights had he woken from dreams of the man, frustrated and longing for his embrace? How many times had he whipped out Itachi’s card to call the number on the back, only to fret about the reception he would receive from the man, worried that Itachi wouldn’t want to speak to him?

“You know,” Sasuke said lowly, “I loved Naruto the moment I saw him in the quad in college. But I was just as afraid of intimacy as Itachi, and I hid my feelings from Naruto for years. I would have probably hidden them forever, as long as I could stay close to Naruto. If you hadn’t told Naruto to be honest with me, I might have lost this opportunity to be something special to him.” Sasuke looked him straight in the eye as he continued, “So you should be honest with Itachi. And yourself. If you have no desire to be with Itachi, let him know so that he can get over you.”

Minato didn’t have a chance to reply, though he had no idea what he would have said given the chance, as Naruto finally returned to the kitchen. He picked up his soda and called for Sasuke to follow him, telling Minato over his shoulder that they were going to the movies. Sasuke stood and pulled something from his pocket and placed it on the table next to Minato’s hand.

“Itachi won’t be at the club tonight. Here’s his address, if you find you need to see him.”

“Thank you,” Minato finally said, his fingers touching the edge of the piece of paper. Sasuke nodded and walked out the kitchen door, calling out to Naruto to be patient. He heard Naruto’s car start and peel out of the driveway. 

Was he in love with Itachi? He wasn’t too sure about that, but he was sure about the feelings the man evoked in him: excitement, attraction, and arousal, for sure, not only evidenced by their one night together, but of the many nights after of unfulfilled passion that had Minato waking in the middle of the night with the man’s name on his lips in supplication. These were wonderful, if frustrating, feelings, but they didn’t exactly make for a solid foundation in a relationship.

But then he remembered other feelings Itachi had evoked in him outside of the sex. He enjoyed talking to Itachi, the man’s wit and humor entertaining. He’d felt a small flutter of protectiveness at hearing Itachi’s sad childhood, wanting Itachi to find someone he could pour his heart out to, and maybe, just maybe, that person could be Minato. 

He tried to rid himself of that thought and replayed his conversation with Sasuke in his head, wondering what he should do about this situation. It was strange, really, Sasuke throwing his words to Naruto back at him. So he tried to call up the conversation he’d had with his son three weeks ago about his relationship with Sasuke. Something about not pushing aside a good thing and being honest to minimize the hurt. Well, it certainly sounded like good advice, being his, but Minato knew it was easier to give advice than to follow it.

Except, he’d followed his own advice three weeks ago and slept with Itachi, and he didn’t regret it for a second. Sure, it ended that same morning—or so he’d thought—and he’d been a bit down about it, but he knew he’d never regret it. Probably what he’d end up regretting was just letting it end without trying for more. The thought of more with Itachi surprised Minato, the fact that he wanted more, but it warmed something inside of him to think of a future with Itachi. Maybe, like Sasuke, he had fallen in love with Itachi at first sight, without realizing it, and only now, when he was about to lose him, he was aware of what he truly wanted.

He wanted Itachi Uchiha.

“I want Itachi Uchiha,” he said aloud, and rather than the dread he thought he’d feel at the utterance, he was filled with a light, floating feeling, something that made him smile like a high school girl. He tried to stop, but his smile was unwilling to leave his lips, the thought of being with Itachi made him that happy. If only he’d given this the same thought three weeks ago, maybe he could have saved them both some grief. If Itachi was even grieving for him. That thought gave Minato pause, because despite Sasuke’s thoughts on the matter, Minato had no proof that Itachi wanted him back.

His eyes darted to the paper that held Itachi’s address.

Well, only one way to find out.

Minato let out a deep breath and stood from the table, grabbing the piece of paper and turning to close the kitchen door. He locked it and moved to the front door, grabbing his keys as he headed out.

When he was in his car and the GPS had turned on, he entered Itachi’s address into the device and moved to put on the seatbelt as it calculated his route. He pulled out of the driveway, following the directions the voice—Navigating Nancy, as Naruto had named her—gave him.

It didn’t take long to get to his destination, and as he figured, he found himself in uptown. He pulled his car up to the valet, surprised that the condominium had a valet, though he probably shouldn’t have been. This was an Uchiha, after all.

The valet handed him a ticket as Minato got out of his car and hopped inside, driving off as Minato stared at the door that led into the lobby. He was suddenly nervous about what he was doing, even though he had given it some thought. He tried to call up the Naruto voice in his head for some sage advice on the situation, but that voice was strangely silent. So Minato decided to square his shoulders and walk inside, Itachi’s address clutched in his fist.

He looked to his left and found the elevators, so he walked that way, reaching a finger out to press the up button. The car was already there, so the doors opened immediately, not giving Minato time to determine if he should get on or not. He stepped inside, reading Sasuke’s note again to find out which floor he needed to be on. It said seventh floor, but when he looked at the buttons, there wasn’t one for the seventh floor. Minato looked back at the paper, noticing down at the bottom a set of numbers that he realized was an elevator code. He looked back up at the panel, finding the number pad, and entered the code. The doors closed, and the car moved up, not even registering the other floors as it bypassed them.

The car slowed and stopped, and the doors opened into Itachi’s condo, which apparently took up the entire seventh floor. Minato stepped out of the car, and the doors slid silently shut behind him. He looked around the condo, marveling at the sheer size of it.

The kitchen sat to the left, and directly in front of him was the living area. The entire expanse of wall was floor to ceiling windows that looked out over the city, showcasing the beautifully lit night scenery of uptown. It was a kaleidoscope of colors that one could sit on the blue suede couch and watch for hours. Well, Minato could.

To either side of the living area were corridors that probably led back to rooms of various use, which might have been where Itachi was, since Minato didn’t see him out here. Walking further into the condo, Minato shoved the piece of paper into his pocket and called out, “Itachi?”

He heard some sound from the corridor to the left, and then Itachi appeared through the doorway, his hair pulled back in a loose ponytail and glasses perched on his nose as he looked down at something in his hand.

“Sasuke, I thought I told you not to come over. Spend your time with your boyfriend,” he said, finally looking up and realizing that Sasuke wasn’t the one he was speaking to. “Minato?” he asked hesitantly, as if he couldn’t believe Minato was standing there. Which was probably the case, since Minato could hardly believe he was standing there either.

“Ah, hi, Itachi. Um, Sasuke said you’d be here.” Itachi only continued to stare at him, and Minato had no clue what he should say next. He looked down, taking in Itachi’s outfit of oversized sweater, black leggings, and bare feet. He looked so normal, nothing like the smooth predator from the club, that Minato smiled despite the tense situation.

“Why are you here?” Itachi asked softly. Minato looked up. Itachi’s hands had dropped to his sides, whatever document he’d been studying now on the floor. He looked quite vulnerable, as if Minato’s answer could break him into tiny pieces. It wasn’t anything in his face that gave Minato this impression, but his eyes screamed at Minato that Itachi was just waiting for Minato to cause the final crack that would make him shatter.

Well, too bad for Itachi. Minato took a deep breath and began walking toward the younger man.

“I came down here to ask if I could have a moment with you,” he said, watching for Itachi’s reaction. The man’s face didn’t even twitch, but it seemed to Minato that his eyes dimmed just the slightest bit. He continued to walk forward, closing in on Itachi quickly. “And then another moment and another,” he continued, coming up in front of Itachi and stopping with barely any space between their bodies, “until all of our moments add up to a lifetime.”

Itachi blinked at him, and Minato laughed, looking away toward the city skyline outside the window. “Wow, that sounded really cheesy,” he said, turning his head back to Itachi and leaning his forehead on the man’s shoulder as he laughed again. He leaned back and brought his arms up to twine around Itachi’s neck. He felt Itachi’s hands lightly grasp the backs of his arms, but he didn’t do anything else, so Minato turned his head slightly and kissed Itachi’s jaw, spreading little kisses along the jaw line to Itachi’s ear.

The hold on his arms tightened, and Itachi turned his head to claim Minato’s lips in a savage kiss, as if to make sure Minato wasn’t an illusion. Minato returned the kiss, his fingers slipping through Itachi’s black hair and tightening to hold Itachi in place. But Itachi broke the kiss and moved his hands up to frame Minato’s face, looking into his eyes.

“Minato, are you serious about this? About a lifetime? Because I—”

Minato kissed him silent, a slight peck on the lips, and he smiled at the dumbfounded look on Itachi’s normally impassive face. “You said the trouble with girls is that they become obsessive, right? Well, I think the trouble with guys is that they become addicted.” He reached up to grab Itachi’s hands and pulled him over to the couch. He shoved Itachi down into a sitting position and straddled his lap, replacing his fingers in Itachi’s hair and tilting the man’s head up for another brief kiss. “Well,” he said as he leaned back, “I wouldn’t mind if you become addicted to me, because I want you, Itachi. I’m serious about this.”

“Ah, Minato,” Itachi said, pushing himself up to kiss Minato again. His hips pressed up into Minato’s, and Minato felt his cock, hot and hard, through the fabric of both their pants. He moaned into the kiss, pressing his own hips into Itachi’s to let the man feel his answering arousal.

Itachi groaned as he pulled away, resting his forehead on Minato’s shoulder. “Minato, are you sure you want this?” he asked as he looked up. “If we leave this couch and go into my bedroom, I won’t—”

Minato put his finger to Itachi’s lips. “I know; you won’t let me get away.” He moved his finger to tap Itachi’s nose. “I’m counting on it, Itachi.”

Itachi surged to his feet, urging Minato’s legs to wrap around his waist as he made his way to his bedroom down the corridor. Minato laughed as they made their way, squawking loudly and laughing more when Itachi slapped his bottom before laying them both down on his bed.

“All right, Gorgeous, to throw your cheesiness back at you,” Itachi said as he leaned over Minato. “Right now begins our lifetime of moments.”

Minato was caught by surprise to see the smile that spread over Itachi’s face. It wasn’t predatory or sarcastic, but seemed to be a smile of happiness, real happiness, so genuine and sincere that Minato could only answer it with his own. He ignored the Naruto voice in his head that told him he was being unbearably sappy, and met Itachi halfway for another kiss. Itachi had given him a lesson about living in the now, and Minato was content to wallow in the happiness of right now for the time being as Itachi’s hands slipped under his shirt to skim over his chest.

Later would be soon enough to think about forever.

**Author's Note:**

> I challenged myself to write 31 one-shots based on the titles on all 31 Elvis feature films. I may or may not post all of them here. None of them are intended to be replicated plots of said movies. Obviously! This one is "The Trouble with Girls" (duh). Edited slightly from original posted on y!gal.


End file.
